#Monomad Challenge - Always with our eyes on the horizon

Being able to walk freely on the street is something that many of us take for granted.

I also thought so, in a way, but only until March 2020. We all remember when our freedoms were restricted for the sake of public health. Many of us were confined to our homes, some, like me, were not only teleworking, but also working on a rotating basis... The queues outside shopping centers, hypermarkets, and bakeries, in order to comply with the maximum capacity allowed for the space. The masks... the distancing... the near hysteria about close contact with others, even if they were acquaintances.

That has passed, of course, but some things have remained. I think that many years from now we will be able to look back and correlate many of the social and mental problems we see today, and will continue to see, with that time.

But looking beyond the pandemic, we can see that there are many people, entire populations of a region or country, who cannot even go out on the street without worrying about their safety. Fortunately, this is not the case in my country. Some politicians claim that there has been a deterioration in public safety, especially in urban centers, but this is not borne out by the figures released by the relevant authorities. Therefore, I can say that Portugal enjoys an unusual calm and much-desired tranquility and public order. This allows us to stroll leisurely in the street, while obviously paying attention to our surroundings. There is no paradise on earth, is there? Whenever there is an opportunity, there is always someone who can take advantage of it.

But I can say that here, the opportunity we have is to be able to walk freely in the streets. One of the places I most enjoy visiting is Belém. Its centuries-old, well-maintained gardens and generous limestone sidewalks are more than just points of interest. They end up being true anchors for the simple happiness we can feel.

To do this... We just need to open our eyes and look around. We just need to be aware of the good things that life offers us. What we want is not always what is best for us. Sometimes we already have enough, but we just haven't learned to appreciate it yet.

I wish you all a great weekend. I don't know if I'll be able to go for a walk this weekend, due to the depression that is severely affecting the country. Who knows... I'll keep my fingers crossed!

I hope you enjoyed my post here in the B&W community

Bem Hajam 🍀

^{Photographed with Samsung A26 by @xrayman in 2025, december 14
Photographic edition with PhotoScape X
Original text in Portuguese written by me, translated with DeepL.com}